Biggest Blue Jays ‘What Ifs’ with Ben Ennis | JD Bunkis Podcast

Biggest Blue Jays ‘What Ifs’ with Ben Ennis | JD Bunkis Podcast

okay so ouchie for the J of blue jays yesterday holy uh this is this is kind of the mark of the Jay’s season um so Saturday right they score all these runs and you go is this a turning point and then Sunday they don’t score anything and you go oh never mind um then they they beat the Baltimore Orioles and you go holy crap um with only nine guys yeah they could they could win they could win a series Kikuchi goes out there in deals and all of a sudden like you know B bashet is piecing up some baseballs and I actually had some of my friends texting me are we back yeah and to which I replied what are you doing and then of course the Jays get into the ninth and John Schneider survives two questionable Bullpen calls that both turn out to be great and actually I watched Blair and Barker after while uh I was getting ready to watch uh Duke real Kipper and Bourne and Barker brought up that mount Castle’s numbers against Kikuchi or just like completely eye popping and it was a real no-brainer but either way because he’s a blue J and Ryan Mount Castle just like M the castle that is the blue yeah that’s true but either way in the moment lifting Kikuchi for Zack pop who looks great but still it’s Zack pop it’s a guy who break also at 88 pitches too sure but 88 is not hey if there’s been one thing with John Schneider I would say he has a problem lifting Kikuchi a little too early sometimes and for whatever reason he just he trusts him far less than the other three starters let’s say because now that’s what they’ve got and then he goes to Tim Mesa instead of yimy Garcia who has been outrageously good this season who is the only guy that you really believe in and who just came in and bailed you out his magician getting out of second and third none out the middle of like the best lineup in the American League no no big deal and I get yeah you got to play the platoon Advantage but it’s like also I don’t know people people doing that with Marana Rivera it’s like Buddies yeah yeah yeah exactly so that works out like holy crap and then bang a home run that’s off the top of the scoreboard hits a fence home run surprisingly I was to find out I I was like oh that’s like three ballparks that’s a home run nine nine of of the 30 okay yeah so obviously like Yankee Stadium not not Toronto obviously cuz nothing there are no home runs feel it was as jokey of a home run as yeah okay that’s fine I didn’t feel that in the moment I felt like he crushed that baseball and yeah it’s at least in another ballpark what like you think that’s it’s an out at Rogerson it is yeah it was so high that like even if it’s at the wall you have time to get all the way back there and catch it yeah anyway um that’s 100% a note it’s not off the it’s not like a double or anything yeah so crushes it for a home runoff of Jordan romano and weirdly there’s a review where they’re like the crew Chief’s going to go and check it out it’s like we all know what it is and just stalls the Ori celebration fine with that but no I also thought it was it was close enough you had to see fine you thought for sure like right off the bat you’re like for sure well I mean it is the Blue Jays and you’re like yeah obviously something bad is going to happen here’s what I uh I guess I shouldn’t trust the Outfield fans because those are just like drunk guys who were rooting for it but they had tring the Amish guy in Kansas City like I TR that trust him I with my life don’t ever say I don’t know why I’m putting that Accent on I don’t know but tell you this if there’s one person I don’t align with on anything it’s the Amish liar like don’t ever say that if you were trying to defame my character you’d like put me side by side with that guy holding the baseball where he’s like and I didn’t grab it and then a quote from me on the other side of the meme as implying that we are both liars that is how that would work anyways this was a long-winded way of me recapping I basically just did Jay and 30 for you but thank you where I’m going with where I was going with this is it didn’t hurt yeah I I was kind of the same way especially considering how many incredible plays Blue Jays made previously in that game and the bu bash like after they went down one- nothing which normally for this team is a death blow one nothing and then they came up with a a big two run double off a glove to right field which also is probably impacted by the jok of the ballpark not only that okay so yes spring ER got on base with a foul ball that hit the base that’s a fair ball you think that was going to be a fair ball oh I mean now it turns it of course I’m just saying that it was hooking foul and bounces off the base and kicks weird and then B bashet hits it hard but it like yeah if it’s not santand there or Teo that’s an out and that a tough play fine I I if it hits you in the glove I have a hard time being like it’s catchable yeah it’s definitely catchable anyway they scored two runs the point is they scored two runs I I they had they knocked the starter out before the fifth inning yeah got to a bullpen which is like the major area of weakness for the Orioles a bullpen that the Jay’s Bullpen is so weak that coming into the series there were rumors that they were trying to buy from the Jay’s week Bullpen and they didn’t even see their best guy who the Blue Jays own by the way you Canó they got one hit the rest of the way yeah okay so here’s where I’m at with this and where I’m going with it because I think people if you’ve listened to the show long enough you understand that I really want to see this baseball team win mhm I like I spend a lot of my Summers down at the Ballpark I do this for a living I have to talk about this team throughout the summer but the reason why I was okay with the losser I guess it didn’t hurt is everybody knows this ain’t it except for one guy in particular I guess maybe two but the front office like the front office tried to Gaslight everybody this off season they went up to a Podium and they said nah I know it was weird and it was tough or whatever but it’s going to turn around it can’t be that bad we’ve got all these numbers and they’re basically saying that all of our guys had the season from hell and we still made the playoffs and bad bounces and we made a bad uh mistake and lifting our starting pitcher while he was cruising But ultimately come on it can’t be that bad again and then they had an offseason where it was like worse where they kicked the fan base in the stomach with the show news and signed absolutely freaking nobody and they came back here and they went trust us it’s going to be better they’re just gaslighting over and over oh it’s going to be fine the offense is going to turn around we’re going to turn around we’re going to turn around and if you don’t believe in it you’re just like a negative fan you’re not a real fan and now we’re watching them in a season where the sample size continues to grow and people are like well it is just may and you’re like no it’s not May it’s not even though it is it’s not not on this team right yeah we’ve seen this team like swapping in Justin Turner for Brandon Belt is not like confusing people as to what this base team is right people are going like well it was really transformed it was really incredible watching Ernie Clement just poorly play Third Base over and over and over again is not making people go oh right this is a significant upgrade on what they had in Matt Chapman um I think that there’s at least an underlying fear with me that they win some of these games that they eek out some of these games and it allows the front office to continue to Gaslight you when everybody really knows that the very least that the conversation shouldn’t be are the Jays trying to win a World Series this year because that feels out I’m sorry it should be are they retooling or rebuilding because that’s the conversation right now and that’s the only one that we should be having about this baseball team I think okay so I I feel like one of the questions you’re going to ask me is like is it better that during the soft spot in the schedule that they just lose instead of like win the games they get them back to 500 where they go on it because I don’t care like tanking isn’t a thing like tanking is not a thing at all it’s not although ad Rutman was 1-1 so it’ be nice to have that but you’re not going to be one1 is a there is a is a thing actually that’s there is ay that’s how they got that gu T yeah no I am yeah I hate tanking and I know it’s the best way to build your franchise in North American you do it for years I don’t have the appe and it’s not a guarantee no I’m not I’m not living the life of an orios fan for the last decade to live this way more fun for the Blue Jays to win in this next stretch of games and get back to no it is it is because it won’t change the underlying truth though that this team the things that you said are true that there is I don’t know what would have to happen for me to be convinced that oh you know what actually there is a World Series team in there if I I suppose if Vlad looked like 2021 version of himself and Bose going and like on the strength of those two guys alone like and and David Schneider is this and finally we get George Springer moved down the lineup and like the offense didn’t even say George Springer gets better just he bats less that was your positive like he doesn’t like his his sulky Vibes don’t infect the rest of the team it’s when he when he got that double yest I’m sorry I don’t want to crush this guy I don’t want to make this personal or anything but when he hits that double yesterday and he’s on base and he’s doing the like rally stuff back to the Dugout I I’m looking at you him going hey you’re you like won’t get out of the lead off spot you’re like hey guys I’m just one of the dudes and everyone else on the team’s like we all hit better than you now why are you doing this why are you holding a sausage any I I couldn’t nice it would be a nice narrative for him if he came out and was like Hey listen it’s I I know it’s hard for you to do it I’m going to sacrifice I I I’m not hitting I’m not hitting right now I got to hit ninth what is you know what though the bigger thing is what Blair said to me yesterday where he goes what does it say about the Jay’s manager and madingley and the offensive coordinator and Schneider and the grip he has in the clubhouse that they don’t feel that that they feel prisoner by the guy making $25 million should be like hey dude you’re happy no matter what right you got $25 million coming to you per year for the next two years after this one what’s confusing to me and it was the same thing I was thinking about with Sheldon Keefe is like you should be desperate you’re going to lose your job like why aren’t you taking wild swings what okay obviously it doesn’t make sense to break up all these guys on the number one power play unit and they should be good enough but they’re not like and we have a huge sample why aren’t you trying it what are you doing you’re going to be fired why why are you going why aren’t you stepping to a microphone after these games saying this is is unacceptable after game four and saying I’m not saying that it’s going to work but like try something else why are you you’re John Schneider you’re going to be fired you might not be hired again I mean the history of recent Blue Jays managers would suggest that you’re not Charlie montoyo not on the short list of any managerial openings that I’m aware of neither is John Gibbons so this could be it for you that you’re like yeah it’s fine yeah I I and I don’t know if that’s because you’re getting marching orders to do so I can’t imagine and you’ve also like he did show a an ability to do something drastic when he arrived in 2022 bumping bow down to 7th like he did that once I don’t know what’s going on here if it were me I’d be going I’d be doing everything like I know you don’t want to at least give the perception that you’re doing everything not even the perception like just trying something cuz what you’re doing is not working even though even though it’s it might not be something that has tangible results at least people can say well he did exhaust every option yeah but but uh yeah to be doing nothing it’s just it’s it’s cuckoo bananas I don’t know what else you need to see I I I I just it’s very confusing yeah but okay so back to the main point that you were driving at though which is you don’t think even a winning streak changes the outlook here because I I do because again you got remember these dudes are going to be trying to save jobs like Ross Ain Ross Ain is not like oh I guess I’m fired it’s already over we saw them make the playoffs last year and everybody say the thing that ended up being being true it’s like okay they made the playoffs that’s not a World Series Contender like if that if they make the playoffs this year I mean who’s going to believe they have a shot against any team of any Renown right well I don’t even think that they’re going to make the playoffs but also I just this is one of the things that I think is the worst part of Toronto sports right now is the goalpost moving that has happened with the Leafs in particular where they’ve gone well they’ve had these good regular seasons and you know the team is good and they’re competitive and they’re you know and it went from win a Stanley Cup to win a first round and the same thing has happened with the Blue Jays now where it’s Blair said it yesterday this is supposed this was a team that we all thought was 100% going to win a World Series I if they make the playoffs in 2021 ah you’re ruining the show you’re ruining the show don’t ruin the show I have another question for you but okay so you but you really do believe that if they win a bunch of these games cuz this is the fear I’m living with that’s why it didn’t hurt is it didn’t hurt the same anyways it hurt for a second where went oh my God are you kidding me right but then it was just dissipated immediately by the fact that what I want to see is this team not make the mistake of holding on to tradable pieces to holding on to guys who are about to enter free agency make sure that you get maximum return try to re stock the cupboards move on to a different general manager that you know does some positive things for you instead of just gaslights you and tells you that the team is good even though literally anybody like you could put a fan in this position at this point they could find a better way to produce runs than Ross ains did and yeah I I just I I don’t want to see them do the Raptor fake comeback on the season stand pad or add a piece or two like that to me is the worst if you’re doing what are the worst outcomes right the darkest timelines That’s The Darkest Timeline is that the Jays go into next off season without having replenished anything and then trying to decide if they’re going to resign Danny Jansen Kikuchi Jimmy like yeah that’s a nightmare I I got bad news for you I think the decision is going to be hard either way like I I just I don’t think the Blue Jays are going to be bad enough to make it obvious I think they’re even if they’re at 500 above 500 in July you should again especially if it’s they’re doing it on the strength this though what they should do yeah sell off the guys that are pending for agents okay cool but not like a full scale like yeah get recoup some assets that are at the upper minor leagues maybe somebody that can help you that like swings a capable bat and not a newspaper when they to the plate for 2025 also like man the history of teams that do that where it’s like oh they could go in or they could sell like even the Orioles did this right where they like they they sold had like a soft sell before they actually became the Orioles that we know and that was a very soft sell though they they sold they sold their closer yeah and uh the Mancini yeah Trey manini um but yeah the teams don’t OB don’t always like it’s like oh well you all the players they’re going to realize you don’t think you have a chance and they’re all going to like quit and everybody’s going to suck it’s like you sometimes like the young players who might arrive because some of the pending free agents are sold out of town like perform and you get better that’s where I’m at too it’s I just I don’t think it’s going to be a team the team is 20 games under 500 and it’s like well yeah you’re an idiot if you I think it’s going to be a hard decision but one that you have to make and I don’t know how you can make a different one if you’ve watched what we’ve watched now for a a year and two months dude here’s the here’s the thing too and and I would tell this to ownership the front office if they if they came in and they went hey we need a dumb guy who likes going to the ballpark and crushing Bud Lights buddy but he can articulate he can articulate some sentiment of how the fan base is feeling I would tell them I really believe for a long-term ticket standpoint for this season not just moving forward for this season if you Trot out a losing lineup or a team that is fraudulent in July and you go past the trade deadline or you make indications that you’re trying to push quote unquote for a playoff spot and you’re kind of on the cusp of it or whatever people are going to do what they did last year which is not show up for the Texas Rangers series it’s going to be but last year it it it made a little more sense cuz like at least there were players that you’re like oo man Matt Chapman why do you use stink so much no no no but I’m I’m not saying that they made a mistake last year not selling guys to the that’s the point I’m the point I’m making is that you can have the best of both worlds here you clear out some of these guys you’re indicating to your fans that this is not acceptable to you that you also finally understand that this team ain’t it because we all see that they ain’t it and by telling us about the positive regression and showing us the here’s the five reasons why you can believe that this it’s like no no no no no nobody wants that anymore you either do it in spectacular fashion or you kind of shut up about it by you selling off some of these pieces calling up some of these triaa guys like giving aralis Martinez an opportunity and giving you a reason to go down to the ballpark and say oh actually I want to see some of these new guys what are you going to risk going from two runs to one run like what what no you can’t be any worse you can’t be worse literally the team worse than them has been shut out I think like almost 10 times this season the Chicago White sock that’s that’s it so you can’t get worse offensively so move out some of these guys show that you’re trying to go in a different direction and actually pivot and give some fresh blood to a Bas that is crying for it I genuinely think that you will have a better shot at putting butts in the seats under that circumstance than by holding on to all these guys and running it past the deadline and saying we’re trying to get to 86 wins to get to the second walk like no that ain’t going to work that ain’t going to fly you’re insane if you hold on to Jimmy Garcia past the deadline correct you’re even if you’re 500 or a game above you’re in there are four guys that if you keep you are out of your mind yeah and it’s unless you’re like reigning Danny Janson which you should have serious conversations about doing I love Jano but you but I mean what what’s your backup plan there yeah I I don’t know I mean you’re you there’s nobody there’s nobody walking through that door yeah like pretty clearly I think that the sample is growing that Alejandro Kirk ain’t that guy anymore well the you know what actually you’ve kind of w talked me back on Jansen the only the only problem with Jansen is that it’s like again curve on that the Aging curve but also you always have to accept that at least a month of the season he’s going to miss yeah but that’s a catcher that’s like generally a catcher yeah you know like the free market for catchers this year is completely empty there’s nobody there that’s why Danny Jansen though he might sign the max contract he might be on the LeBron James type of deal because I mean it’s such a demanding position physically the Buster posy was like there’s probably like I don’t know upwards of 20 $30 million more I can make but it’s like my knees hurt I’m going to go home now please can I stop and Buster posy I think is my most hated baseball player ever cuz he ruined the coolest thing the sport which was like crashing into the catcher you can still do it in theory like it you it R is confusing blocking the plate like not being able to run into a guy Buster posie is like if if I could go in a time machine Butterfly Effect get rid of any baseball player in history I get rid of he’s gone and then finally we have like a cool sport again like nice this is pretty sweet this is pretty sweet he was the sweet baby sweet candy baby the apple of the eye of baseball they were like like he’s the face of the he’s the face of baseball and you heard him and now we’re change sport forever for the wor with that review yesterday the Danny Janson swipe tag part part of that being like they’re also reviewing for whether he tagged which he didn’t well okay we can argue about that I didn’t you saw you saw no I did not see it I saw a guy Swip yeah I saw a guy completely swipe through and his arm not move at all yeah I did not see all I’ll say is I said Thank you thank you not being Common Sense thank you at being uh conclusive 100% the he is the father there should be yeah there should be a penalty like they have now in the NHL for challenging uh an offsider or a golender interference if you but only for like if you challenge the catcher thing yeah cuz that thing is so like egregious it’s true like the the calls that have been made on that thing if you have the goal especially like if it were John Schneider a former minor league catcher challenging somebody else for like some Ticky Tac blocking the lane thing you should should lose a run honestly yeah I actually think this is one of the best ideas you ever have you’re totally Jays would be down to minus one Jays would lose a game zero to minus one yeah they really would oh that’s incredible I’d love it too if it C they had to decide who lost the stats yeah you have like a it’s a bench Miner it’s like who’s our worst player you the John he was heading down to the Dugout to tell some unfortunate news to Ernie Clement he’s like talking Ernie Clement’s throwing his glove down yelling at him he’s like why me yeah yeah so anyway I I just don’t think I I think the question to me is uh rol or rebuild and I I I think I’m actually I think I’m closer to the rebuild than most people are I would say that I’m I’m more of like a I see the retool part of it but I would look at it this way if they did do a retool and I went yeah you didn’t cut deep enough like I’ll know it like it’s one of those things you’ll know it when you see it and if they started to do it and I said nah keep I keep going you know keep keep going uh so so what is that that’s all the guys that are pending uh un I would say that you actually kind of talked me into uh the J thing just because yeah Kirk looks completely lost at this point um he’s a great defender though which should be said like we’re doing that yeah as long as there’s no as long tell me about how great of a Defender is like really great like steals lots of strikes as long as we don’t have robots which I think you know who else could do that who uh like all the guys that aren’t even like in the major leagues right now that are down in the minor leagues like literally he’s one of the best baseball I think that it’s like right now if you had to say what are there the most of I would say um food delivery service people like you know downtown on bikes ready to like bring you a food order like if you need a guy to bring you some food right now in Toronto you got it and then number two is defensive catcher that can come up and give you some good defense at the major league level okay yeah I I I think you’re underwriting that position I think yeah I’m being I’m obviously doing this for effect but I’m just telling you that I don’t care if easier to get than a guy the bar moving this is what I’m talking about is the bar moving for Alejandro Kirk from I’m not moving the bar I’m just saying that he provides you some value even when he’s not hit when a you know what a good defensive catcher should be called a backup catcher correct that’s what he is yeah but that’s what I’m saying so it’s like the idea you’re right the idea of pivoting off of Janson and then not having someone if you’re doing the retool or the reload whatever we call it yes I think there’s a case for Jansen I don’t think this is a case at all for Garcia for Kikuchi no you have to trade Kikuchi and you have to hit on it it it cannot be your new uh jhap trade where you blow it and you only get back two crappy players that don’t end up working out for you jury I think went on to have somewhat of a career but sure your boy mcken who stiffed our show last minute when you were the only guy that defended yeah those two guys that that can’t be the return on that you had your whole Brandon jeury thing is that he wouldn’t get the chances that he he’s getting if he didn’t look if he didn’t have baseball face like also with Billy mcken Billy mckenny also had the draft pedigree too I want to say he was a first round pick dude whenever people go he looks like a baseball player I’m always like you think he’s cute yeah that’s right yeah it is what he looks like a baseball player it’s like looks like a hockey player you don’t want to look like a hockey player you want to look looks like a hockey player is actually the opposite it’s like you think he’s ugly dude you should rank the sports by like who you want to be confused for what sport you want to be confused for like go I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody say he looks like a basketball player it just means you’re tall no but no no no but that but that’s not a thing you say you know he’s a Hooper as in like the guy has the mind for it you know he he he understands the game he’s good at no tall like if you’re above 6’5 you look like a basketball player you but the one you’re saying is like a person would say to you in the street where they would go are you a basketball player tall because you’re stup there’s that doesn’t happen in a broadcast there’s no guy that goes he looks like a basketball player oh yeah no I’m just talking about like on the street what do you want to be confused it’s like are you a baseball player I don’t no but in baseball yeah and in hockey those are two sports where they will say like he looks like a ball player or he looks like a hockey player like those are those two sports are exclusively the the announcer would say it if you said that in basketball during a broadcast people be like what the hell that’s what he does yeah it’s the weird you would sound like a freak so anyway back to what we were talking about the reload or the rebuild uh those are the number one guys Turner is gone immediately if you can find it doesn’t matter cuz you don’t get much back and Kier me same deal yeah sure I guess the the more upshot of trading km is not what you get back it’s more that you’re just like hey we need varo to play center field permanently now and we’re moving off of this I would try to trade Springer like I would do the but I think that’s an offseason move where you eat a bunch of the money but I don’t know why yeah and Kevin km has kind of become the fourth outfielder now but like yeah him taking up a roster spot right now like I I think you can easily clear one up by Daniel Vogal DFA which feels like we’re a second away from that happening buddy I felt that I every day I wake up and I’m like is today the day that vogle boach is gone right yeah yeah I was always the way that it was going to go for is going to be incredible when he gets signed by the Cincinnati Reds and Ops is like 900 but that’s also the Daniel vabon thing right we saw him for what five games it’s amazing though that the Blue Jays are going to have him for this run which is now a growing sample and not once have we seen the home run no he hasn’t hit one home run for the Blue Jays that’s his thing it’s like you get the walks you get the strikeouts and you get the home runs once maybe yeah just get one of them do one just one he really suffers too from looks like he doesn’t care at all he cares the most though I I agree I’m just saying that when he’s whenever he’s like strikes out or he’s out he’s just like he’s got a huge two and he’s like oh well I got my 2 million where’s your 2 million you’re like damn it I don’t have 2 million anyways uh what’s the most important thing to you then for what’s your Priority One if they do a Reload or a rebuild I guess let’s just say reload cuz that’s where you’re at but what’s priority number one because again you watched Kikuchi yesterday and you go should you resign that guy and I’m like I don’t know he’s 32 years old and he’s having the best year of his career that’s what I’m saying I don’t like when you resign guys in their early 30s to what’s going to be their last contract after a career year it’s just for me it gives me the it gives me the scaries yeah know and I love Kikuchi man like he’s genuinely my joy of the Season like if you said hey what are the what’s number one thing that gives you happiness it’s when I you know check the sports that app and I see that Kikuchi is pitching tonight my number one priority is dealing with the Baltimore Orioles and their number one farm system I do not care at all about them being in the division which is only 13 games now there’s a million playoff teams now too like and the the the the schedule is more balanced you play all 30 teams or all 29 other teams in Major League Baseball that’s the number one farm system in baseball um I I’d I’d be calling up all the teams that have top five Farm systems and all of baseball it’s getting somebody a position player no it’s getting a position player that you think is if not like an automatic to be in the major leagues in 25 a guy that’s going to compete at the upper level of your minor leagues which is all that not all that difficult to do considering the lack of of minor league talent that this this organization has but I’m saying like out of the things you can can control right so I guess that is what you can control players I’d be targeting position players position players position players cuz even if you lose Kikuchi I mean I guess it depends on whether Alec Manoa is a major league player or not but like I’m hopeful enough that he can be at least uh a guy that you pencil into your rotation you still got four starters next season and Bullpen guys you’re always going to every offseason have to go into the free agent Market on relief help yeah and you hope that some of your failed like Ricky Tan’s a bullpen guy now it feels like he’s on the fast track to being Nate Pearson um but yeah you need position players position players seems like a long list of things you need new GM new manager new all bats new farm system yeah it’s true it’s like you any position players you mean uh eight of the nine positions that are on the field like any of those guys that swing the mats do you think Alex anthopoulos ever like calls them and is like how’s it going over there he’s like oh um you know we’re looking for a minor league oh I was looking at your minor league though it doesn’t seem to be that covers kind of look there we’d love to do a deal we’d love to help you out but the covers just look bare they just don’t look like there’s a lot of depth anyway yeah you guys could have used God I can’t even remember his name the left-handed starter prospect that they he traded away for David Price yeah it’s like oh yeah no the guys that you youed about me trading away in 15 at the deadline you really killed you really killed this team with the most exciting run that they’ve had outside of the World Series that was you really you really set him back Daniel Norris yeah yeah Bo what a career if only you had Daniel Norris yeah was he the one that like lived in a van down by the river that’s correct yeah that was what he was most famous for he’s like he’s like I like to Surf and we’re like nice God I really do need a a thorough retelling of that meeting between Mar chaparro and Alex I we’ve heard it enough but like specifically was he like so you traded away the great left-handed fireballer Daniel Norris for a pending free agent David Price when you were below 500 how dare you no I think the idea the sentiment is more you know like at that especially like you know we’re coming in and instead of giving us our full leverage our full ability to maneuver you’ve changed the way in which we can do it which is funny because the only successful season they’ve had is 2016 and it was all because of anthopolos and they were like well we have to compete that year cuz maybe they didn’t want to compete that like they wanted 2016 to be 2017 you said that explicitly I forget what the quote was yeah but anyways yeah we went from those years to um quickly atting sitting in front of microphones going look at all the years of control we got and guess what all the years of control we got from all those players and the it’s like look at them go oh so many control years of all the Jays you love right now all of your guys that I love my little guys yeah I love my little dudes anyway uh okay so this is what I’m I want to ask you this and then we’ll break in and we’ll talk about it with the a wider scope um what’s your biggest blue jays wh if because I I think we are now I’m going to dub this the wh if era of Toronto Sports because I think that you could make the case for all three teams right now like the Raptors what if they pick a direction earlier right mhm the Maple Leafs there’s a billion okay there’s quite a few what if the contracts get done differently what if they keep a different general manager what if they act sooner what if what if what if there’s a billion different things right but for the Toronto Blue Jays what is your biggest wh if of the bow and vlat or I could just say the shapy Atkins era because that’s more what it this actually is so you threw me off like you threw me off a little bit when I tried to bring up the 21 season finishing one game out and I want to leave that one for you cuz it feels like that’s yours well no you can say it cuz we can both I there another one though no I think that’s it I think if they get in in 2021 they do damage and then it it has the ripple effect of like the Seattle thing doesn’t matter they don’t react to it the same way because they know that the offense works the team Vibes stay high all of a sudden those guys are a winning culture like they’ve gotten there the 21 thing is most difficult because not only be because they missed the playoffs by a game and not just because of the Yankee series and like the game that they was it hun and Ryu started that game that’s that’s not the game yeah it’s that there’s a single play yeah I hate that I really do I know no but like there’s nothing but it’s Marcus Sean has out number 27 in his glove in a game that you’re leading that is like there were was not a more routine play made in baseball in 2021 than the one he threw away and the loss that they sustained in Detroit it’s what do you mean like that’s that’s no the reason why I don’t love it is because semian was so important to that particular team I mean he set the record for most home runs by his second base yeah that’s that’s what I mean baseball history there was also I’m trying to pull it up in terms of what the exact stretch was but they went in and had a series they had a a road trip where included like I know the Nationals before before well they needed the incredible September run remember to revive their chances and they had that incredible comeback against the A’s but August it was like Dante was was trying to talk people off the ledge as to why the the offense was sputtering so much so it was it was that it was this stretch where they had Seattle who was terrible they lost they lost let’s look at this one two three four five six six out of seven games and that included uh two in AIT in there too was it was it was that was that was where it happened with semi and that’s where he did throw the ball away yeah it’s like that was the culmination of it because that one happened in extra like that game went to Extra Innings and they lost right they were up I think that was the last game of that series actually I think that was the Sunday game either way you look at this stretch and that’s what killed them and so whenever I I look at it more as semian was the cherry on top of that stretch that killed their season because they had to they had to just like win a series against Seattle Washington or Detroit and they lost all three series to those terrible teams in the middle of August and and it killed them so yeah the what if there would just simply be what if they are their normal they’re their normal selves in that series what if they get into the postseason as the hottest team if they get into the postseason as the hottest team I just I think that all of the dominoes break differently for this group the fan base is satiated in a different way they fall in love with the group in a different way they’re kind of beloved figures right out of the gate they are looked at as young and clutch and that they have this culture they I don’t know if they keep semian I think he’s gone either way because the contract would have been so massive like that they probably don’t pay it at that juncture but the biggest thing is the thing that you said that I thought was a separate thing but you’re right to tie it into this is if you just don’t make the Tao or the Moreno trade or Lis yeah like if you just do nothing do nothing just do nothing no all the trades they made were for the worst and and you can relitigate the VAR show thing all you want like that should also be said those were made after 22 so right they were back for 22 and they were made at the no but you said Moreno yeah that would that was made after 22 yeah what they played out the 20 so the season we’re talking about is 21 right so if they have proof of concept in 21 they get into the playoffs and who knows if they win a World Series but it felt like that team had a run in it I know but that’s what I’m saying you and I are saying the same thing all all we’re saying at the exact same time is 22 is very different if 21 has that like rope of success if they even if they fail in the two games against the Mariners in 22 yeah that’s that’s what I’m saying I think that they first of all if they win get into the playoffs in 2021 and we’re doing the wha ifs you can’t say they would have won a World Series but they were the hottest team in baseball they had good front end starting pitching and the bats were red hot and deep they were nasty nobody would have wanted to play them they would have essentially been kind of what the Diamondbacks were last year ex that better yeah that’s what I’m saying where but the Diamondbacks last year did have that onew punch at the top of their order right although gallon wasn’t as great as he could have been but Kelly was really good and then they had a bunch of guys who were just swinging hot sticks yeah and the Jays would have had I think that a similar formula they would have actually been deeper at starting pitching and they would have had even better bats and and VL yeah in the midst of his best season ever and you can talk about the minor league ballparks not him but he had a great season on the road that were afraid of him yes yeah and I yeah I think the start in the modern League ballparks contributed to him just getting getting better and more confident as the season went along yeah it’s also interesting to think about like how his career Arc plays out if they play some baseball games at Roger Center 21 and it’s just like yeah I was going to say the opposite like if they don’t if he doesn’t boost his numbers in those minor league ballparks like what if they play the whole 21 season I mean this is no that there would have been nothing there it wouldn’t have his his stock was so high in the moment that it wouldn’t have change a damn thing it really wouldn’t have he could have gone oer throughout the entire playoffs it wouldn’t it wouldn’t have been a damn thing you know what’s crazy to think about in retrospect is like he’s pretty good in 22 like 22 was holy cow if you could sign up wow you’ve reached this point where you’re now in on Vlad no yeah you just did it you’re like in retrospect I don’t give Vlad enough credit it’s like yeah CU I was judging him against what I thought was possible in 21 but now in retrospect it’s like daming with follow your logic but yeah okay daming with f phas rude he had an Ops north of 8 find rude ways to yeah he’s going to finish with that this season too you think north of 800 yeah I don’t think so Vlad yeah he’s a singles machine he’s incredible and he’s I I love the process I really do like far take that BET right now no question Ops over 800 you want to make that bet I yeah I don’t think he’s finishing with an Ops north of 800 and I think is finishing with an Ops north of 800 I you so you think it’s more likely Bo finishes with a higher Ops than Vlad I think that’s what you said you just said that yeah yeah I mean I would bet on it I don’t think in Vegas they would give you those odds like I think what you’re asking so now you’re making a proclamation but asking me that’s the worst thing a sports better does this is actually what you just heard folks what you just heard is actually the most toxic thing that any sports fan does which is they like I’m really convicted in this thing and then you’re like oh actually I think that’s kind of crazy I’ll I’ll bet you on the opposite and then you go well you got to give me odds you’re like what you’re the one who said it I didn’t say it you said it so outrageous that you would hey oh yeah move on no quick what yeah Vlad has an Ops of 760 right now where he’s got the the batting average up to 275 on base is amazing 373 everything’s a single yeah everything’s a single it’s all a single yeah he four home runs his slugging percentage The League average slugging percentage in this era where like nobody hits there’s no nobody scores runs like people score more runs than blue jays but like nobody everybody scores more runs there’s your fake team that you just made up your head in this era nobody scores runs and the slugging percentage is over 400 he has a 388 slugging percentage and yeah I’m saying that is the more you think he’s going to be he looked amazing because he’s like getting on base and hitting 115 mph singles yeah he is you think it’s just like a matter wormburners like vlat you think it’s just a matter and infield singles up the middle yeah you think it’s just a matter of time before like the thing that everybody keeps saying will happen and even with the advanced launch angle that he had last year still didn’t happen balls are going to start flying over the fence I don’t think it’s going to be like oh my God he’s 2021 vlat I’m never going to believe in that again you’ll just take I just I’m not going to I I’ll never I’ll never fall for it what I do think is going to happen is I don’t believe that the average is going to tail off in a significant way or that on base is going to tail off in a significant way I think that it is more likely with the the the exit velocity of those hits that just some of those singles yeah I’m just no no no I’m not doing it I’m not trying to get outrageous with it because some people try to do that where they’re like oh this guy’s been miscast or misunderstood or Everyone’s an idiot because they think vlat hasn’t been good enough that I’m not doing that guy I’m doing normal guy which is yeah I’m going to say balance of probabilities that he doesn’t just hit this many singles that he adds like what is it his May right now he’s hitting over 400 and he’s got two extra B hits M I’m saying that if he continues to hit it at this rate he’ll have more than two extra base hits in half of a month when he’s sitting over 400 I think if we’re talking about balance of probability you said that so I think okay what do you think I think if we’re going on balance of probabilities he’ll do the thing that he’s done the majority of the seasons in his major league career and that’s having an Ops under 800 he’s only twice done it and with the 2022 season that I was like amazing that’s that’s jarring to hear though to you know like that if that’s one of those let that sink in for a second St like hey he’s only done it twice like how many years has he played like than two five full seasons like oh okay his debut season he only played 123 games which for George for Brer before last year was like yeah that’s pretty good like yeah I still don’t count how many how many plate appearances did he have only 514 oh that counts yeah what are we doing here yeah that counts yeah and I yeah that sure counts no I know and again the season that I was like boy you would you’d sign up for it in 2022 an 818 play appearances that year that’s like yeah man I guess ited in May was yeah you’re right we were there I don’t know why it’s so weird to me uhhuh so yeah no I I’ll take the thing that is most likely just judging from the guy’s baseball reference page to happen yeah and the the other guy who’s always above 800 yeah I’ll take that guy also to be over 800 that some pretty solid work by you thank you it’s some pretty solid work detective I’ll still take the bet but I’m not giving you odds then you made a really compelling case f no i’ I you I’ve talked myself out of odds you’re right yeah thank you so the B is who finishes with a higher Ops yeah Vlad or bow and I have Vlad yep okay good done yeah all right done okay terms off air anyway uh let’s take a quick break

Ben Ennis, co-host of The FAN Morning Show, joins JD Bunkis to chat about the state of the Blue Jays, reasons to re-tool or re-build, what a win-win move might look like and the biggest ‘what if’ in recent Toronto sports memory.

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Biggest Blue Jays ‘What Ifs’ with Ben Ennis | JD Bunkis Podcast

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